Taiwan Investors Seek Business Opportunities in GuangdongSome 2,000 Taiwan investors gathered together here in Dongguan, a major electronic equipment production base in Guangdong Province in south China, to seek new business opportunities.Among the 2,000 investors who are attending the two-day Guangdong-Taiwan Exchange Meeting for Economy, Technology and Trade, more than 1,000 people are on the first visit to this mainland city to make investment inspections, said organizers for the meeting, which will be close on June 29. Tang Shubei, executive vice-president of the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and also deputy head of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, told participating Taiwan investors to seize the chances and to make greater efforts in promoting cooperation and development of relations across the Taiwan Straits. "Taiwan investors are now facing three opportunities: the development of China's western region; the adjustment of the industrial structure of the mainland and China's accession into the World Trade Organization this year," Tang explained, adding that he hoped Taiwan investors could further expand economic and trade cooperation with Guangdong and other areas of the mainland. Twenty-two cities of Guangdong Province have sent their business delegations which have brought along a long list of projects in pursuit of investment and cooperation to the meeting. Special introductory workshops were organized to brief Taiwan investors about investment environment and policies in those cities. While holding informal discussions with some Taiwan investors, both Li Changchun, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and also Party Secretary of Guangdong Province, and Governor Lu Ruihua pledged that they would go all out to help Taiwan investors solve problems and difficulties in business. Up to now, Taiwan investors have become Guangdong's second largest source of overseas investment after Hong Kong. They have set up 11,700 enterprises in Guangdong Province, and have pumped US$ 8. 1 billion into Guangdong by investing in these businesses. The volume of trade between Guangdong and Taiwan amounted to US$ 13. 95 billion in 1999, accounting for 10 percent of Guangdong's total foreign trade. |
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